Afterwards, he turned his attentions to Real Madrid.
“We still have six games to play in the Premier League, which are going to be really important, for sure,” he said. “But, for now, it’s all about Wednesday.”
Arsenal will travel to Madrid in high spirits, even though the 15-time European champions regularly defy logic in the competition, meaning Arteta will not breathe easily until the final whistle.
Even if the Gunners do make it through, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona — both hugely impressive — are also expected to progress to the semi-finals.
High-wire act
Arsenal’s high-wire act means they risk ending the season without major silverware for a fifth straight season despite the undoubted progress made under Arteta.
And the Gunners’ hold on second place in the Premier League is by no means secure.
They are six points above a faltering Nottingham Forest. Newcastle, in fourth spot, are seven points behind but have a game in hand and are in a rich vein of form.
Arteta said after the Brentford draw that the club were disappointed to find themselves so far adrift of Liverpool.
“It is difficult because obviously there are a lot of reasons why we are with that distance (to Liverpool in the Premier League) and the amount of things that we have to deal with and still we are where we but yeah, we want to be higher, that’s for sure,” he said.
Despite their stumbles, Arsenal are almost certain to secure one of the five qualification places for next season’s Champions League.
But slipping below second would dent the Gunners’ pride and challenge the perception that they are making relentless progress towards their first Premier League title since 2004.
Arteta still has the rest of this season to think about even as he starts plotting how to strengthen for the 2025/26 campaign.
The Gunners could make club history in Europe in the next few weeks but if they fall short, the season could end with a whimper.
© 2025 AFP